The inscription carved above the door reads: Ipsa scientia potentas est — “knowledge itself is power.” For the next generation of TCU students, faculty and staff, that aphorism will signal entry to the Mary Couts Burnett Library and the beginning of the University’s Intellectual Commons.

The library’s new west entry took shape with regal columns, elegant lampposts and wide, welcoming steps. The classic design aligns the library’s look with other TCU buildings and creates an impressive façade fronting University Drive. In tribute to the reflecting pool that once sparkled in front of the original building from the 1920s to the 1950s, designers installed a similarly shaped flower bed in the same spot.

The east half of the library underwent a major renovation along with a 19,000 sf addition. The renovation of all three floors included new roofs, floors, walls, mechanical and electrical equipment, furnishings and seating for students, progressive teaching space, a technology learning center and program space for new features. Additionally, the east end of the library is now connected to the new Rees-Jones Building with a ground-floor plaza and a second-story sky bridge.

The repurposed library is a multi-media, technology-enhanced environment with an emphasis on community space.